[[quoteright:320:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/news_064_8637.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:320:So is Satan just generous when people don't have a [[DealWithTheDevil soul to sell?]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Maybe if you do enough deeds in his name...]]]]

->''"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning."''-->-- '''Calvin''', about [[TheBully Moe]], ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''

Sometimes, even LaserGuidedKarma misses its target.

The character has done a number of things that deserve a karmic comeuppance, most importantly things that caused harm to the innocent. But when the time comes for the [[LaserGuidedKarma hammer]] to fall, that's not what happens. At least, not on him. He ''doesn't'' get what he deserves. Instead, he gets away scot-free. And he might even have ''reversed'' the HumiliationConga that was being planned for him.

This is it. This is all there is to the story. The show is over. The book is finished. The author isn't going to write any more. The WordOfGod has been spoken. The guy has become a Karma Houdini.

Compare ButtMonkey, for which a character ends up having many disproportionately bad things happen to them throughout the story (and may also technically qualify for this trope, as hard as that sounds). The extreme counterpart of that trope, CosmicPlaything, can be considered this trope's polar {{opposite|Tropes}}. Also compare with NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished, where the good guy suffers as a result of doing the right thing.

Contrast the aforementioned LaserGuidedKarma, for instances where the villain's comeuppance is swift and immediate. And KarmaHoudiniWarranty, when it takes a while. Also see IdiotHoudini, when a person is forever protected from the results of their stupidity.

Note that a character doesn't necessarily need to be a villain, or even evil, to qualify for this trope. They may simply end up doing unnecessarily hurtful things, yet not suffer the repercussions. Worse comes to worst, a stolen happy ending may take place at the expense of the [[ButtMonkey hapless victim]].

Note also: The work usually must be completed for a character to qualify as this trope. Only if there are no more opportunities for LaserGuidedKarma to strike can a character be said to have successfully avoided any consequences for their actions. Exceptions may be made in cases where StatusQuoIsGod, or when a character can be said to have permanently escaped, e.g. they died peacefully in their sleep at an old age.

This is a Spoileriffic trope. Spoilers shall be unmarked. You have been warned.